System of shelving



(No Model.)

6. BAUM. SYSTEM OF SHELVING.

No. 494,835. I Patented Apr. 4, 1893.

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(31km Christian euro, M24. mm. flyhisflflnmayswg d ymw w- UNITED STATESPATENT. @rricnl CHRISTIAN BAUM, OF ST. GENEVIEVE, MISSOURI.

SYSTEM OF SHELViNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,835, dated April 4,1893. Application filed September 10, 1892- Serial No. 445,520. (Nomodel.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN BAUM, of St. Genevieve, in St. Genevievecounty, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Systems of Shelving, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvements in a system of shelving, andconsists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts as will bemore fully hereinafter described and designated in the claim.

The object of my invention is to construct an improved shelving whichmay be made in sections and each section independently operative.

The main feature is to obviate the necessity of using ladders or othersimilar devices, to reach the top shelves in order to remove goodstherefrom, as is the case in all stores where wall shelving is made useof and especially in 7 stores that are crowded for room and arecompelled to build the shelving to a great height, in order toaccommodate the stock of goods.

In the drawings: Figure l is a front elevation of a complete section;and showing adjoining sections with parts broken away. Fig. 2 isatransverse sectional view taken on a line a" m in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is atop plan view of a section of shelving constructed according to themethod of my invention. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of thepulleys and show ing the connection of the ropes therewith. Fig. 5 is adetail side elevation of a pulley made use of in carrying out myinvention.

Referring to the drawings: 1 indicates the supporting construction for acomplete section 2 of shelving and represents the style usually made useof in grocery stores wherein the supporting construction is divided intobins for the reception of flour, sugar and other staple articles.

3 indicates a front sliding section and 4; a rear sliding section,adapted to slide vertically in a plane adjacent each other in suitableguides, hereinafter described.

5 indicates the front supporting construction of the shelving proper andwhich consists of two upright fancy posts 6 with a suitable ornamentalfront piece at the top, and a shelf runninghorizontally along the frontat a point above the lower supporting construction 1, and which projectsat right angles from .the posts 6.

Each section is provided with a suitable back 9, bottom-board 10 and top11 and with side guide strips 12 in both sides of each section.

The sliding sections 3 and 4 consist of ordinary frame-work providedwith section shelves 13 and having suitable ends, sides and back piecesto form a secure construction.

The side guide strips 12 are placed intermediate of the back 9 and theposts 6, and are provided throughout their length upon the front sidewith longitudinal flanges 1a which correspond with coinciding flanges 15upon the rear side of the posts 6. By reference to Fig. 2 of thedrawings it will be seen that these flanges l4 and 15 leave a guide thesame width as the front sliding section 3 and in which the same isadapted to travel in operation. This guide construction extends from thetop to the bottom of the section 2 and is similar upon both sides of thesame.

As before stated, the guide-strips 12 are placed intermediate of theback 9 and the posts 6 and therefore leaves a space 16 between the frontface of the back 9 and the rear face of the guide 12 and in which isadapt ed to fit a projection 17 upon the sides of the back 18 of therear sliding section and which forms a guide for the operation of saidrear section 4. Thus it will be seen that proper guides are provided bythe above described construction for the operation of both the front andrear sliding sections 3 and 4.

The projections 17 which form the guidestrip for the rear section 4operative in the space 16 between the back 9 and side strips 12 onlyextend half way of the thickness of the guide 12, this constructionallowing the next adjoining sliding shelf to operate in the same guide,and the guide construction upon the guide 12 and the posts 6 allows ofasimilar operation of the next adjoining front section of shelving.

A means for the operation of the sliding sections 3 and 4 is provided bythe use of a system of ropes or cables 19 of which I preferably make useof two. One end of each rope 19 is secured to the top of the frontsection at one side, and the other end to the top of the rear sectionwhile the other rope is secured in a similar manner to the tops of bothsections 3 and t at the other side.

Pulleys mounted in suitable bearings 21 I irations in the top 11 areprovided in order that the ropes may pass through the same and over thepulleys 20. The rope which extends downwardly to the front section 3passes up through the perforation 22 and over the inside of the pulley23, thence under said pulley and over the back or outside of the outerpulley24 and down through the perforation 22 to the rear section 4. Thisarrangement of the ropes over the pulleys is to guarantee the operationof one of the sections when the other is raised or lowered, by the frietional contact between the two pulleys 23 and 24, by means of the ropes19.

I will now proceed to describe the operation of my invention. The normalposition of the front sliding section 3 is down with its bottom restingon the bottom 10 of the sec tion 2 and the position at this time of therear section 4 is with its bottom in alignment with the top of thesection 3 and in the rear of same, thus presenting shelving surfaceextending from the bottom 10 to the top 11 of the section 2., If forinstance an article is desired from one of the shelves of the section 4,the same can be reached without the use of a ladder by pushing up thesection 3, at which time the rear section 4 will immediately loweritself so that its bottom will be upon the bottom 11 and the frontsection 3 at the top of the'section 2. This arrangement can be reversedat will and is attained both by the arrangement of the ropes and theweight of the section to be lowered. The frictional arrangement of theropes upon the pulleys 23 and 24 prevents the sections from lowering toofast, thus jarring the contents of the shelves. The arrangement of theshelves in this manner also presents a neat appearanoe to the eye, asthe shelves when in their normal or reversed normal position, alwayshide the back wall of the section.

I do not wish to confine myself to the use of two sets of pulleys andropes, as in some cases a single pair of pulleys with one rope could beused, if placed in the center of the top and also a single pulley uponthe top could be made use of.

The pulleys 23 and 24 are provided with grooves 25 in which the ropesare adapted to run to prevent a wearing contact with each other, orrather with different portions of their length.

It will be seen that each post 6 and guide 12, furnish guides for theoperation of one side of two sections of shelving, thus allowing of anumber of sections 2 to be located in the side of a store-room.

The operation of the sliding sections 3 and 4 in each section 2 isindependent.

The advantages of the above described system of shelving are apparent,and as a matter of economy will be of great service as it saves a gooddeal of time in the handling of goods and its simpleness ofconstructionpractically does away with any necessity for re pairs.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is- As an improvementin shelving, the combination, with a framework, and front and back shelfsections sliding vertically therein, of grooved pulleys journaled on thetop of said framework at the front and rear thereof, and each providedwith an auxiliary peripheral groove 25, and a rope having its endssecured to the respective shelf sections and passing entirely around thepulleys and engaging the grooves 25; substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTIAN BAUM.

Witnesses:

HERBERT S. ROBINSON, ALFREDA. EICKS.

